Bungy Jumping / Swing

Canyoning

Canyoning is a mix of land and water travel, descending picturesque canyons on foot (or rear end), ropes and swimming. Born by adrenalin-seekers, the growth in popularity of Canyoning in New Zealand means gentler trips are increasingly available.

Horse Trekking

Galloping down an isolated beach on a trusty steed, sand flying, the salt air whipping in your hair... (admit it, that's how you picture yourself on a horse)
Horse trekking is offered all over New Zealand, guided trips catering to both experienced riders and those with less time in the saddle.

Snow and Ice

Walking and Trekking

Walking and trekking the tracks throughout New Zealand is top of the to-do list for many travellers to New Zealand. From gentle, scenic short walks to multi-day adventures, experience Aotearoa on foot and immerse yourself in the bush, beach and wilderness you came to see.

Water Activities

Boat Cruises

With over 15,000km of coastline to enjoy, New Zealand is naturally quite fond of boats… Boat cruises are a great way to explore NZ's rivers, lakes, beaches and fjords, offering a different perspective on both our landscape and wildlife.

Diving

Get deep - explore life beneath the surface with diving, scuba or snorkelling. From the sub-tropical waters of the North Island to the clear, cool waters of the deep South, divers of all abilities can get up close and personal with New Zealand's wrecks, colourful seascape and fish.

Fresh Water Canoeing / Kayaking

Jet Boating

The need for speed is alive and well! Get up close and personal - at pace - with New Zealand rivers and lakes from the confines of a speedy little boat. Thrills, spins and scenery, jet boating is an adrenaline rush appropriate for young, old and everyone in between.

Air Activities

Attractions

Visitor Centres

i-SITE Visitor Information Centres

i-SITE is New Zealand’s official visitor information network with over 80 i-SITEs nationwide

Every person who works at an i-SITE is a local travel expert for their home town. They will help you to find quality activities, attractions, accommodation, transport and more. This ensures you will experience the latest and greatest the town has to offer whatever you are after!

Freedom Camping

Transport

Land Transport

Motorhomes / Campervans / RV

Travelling New Zealand by rental Campervan and Motorhome gives you freedom. Stay by nature, by the beach or use the full facilities provided by hundreds of Holiday Parks and campgrounds. This ranking table doesn't show all campervan companies in NZ, but does show over 90% of them.

Coastal Otago

Fiordland

Meditative Milford - Get yourself in a zen state as this place is intense. Once the tour buses depart by 4pm, the locals are in their element (including sandflies). Find yourself in a quiet space and do what you need to do to take it all in.

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Aroha Island

Aroha Island

Reviews

We visited Aroha Island in November, initially for one night, however we stopped for 4 nights and would love to have stayed longer. Simon and Kiyo are both very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, the campsite is in a stunning, quiet location on the waterfront within easy reach of Keri Keri, great local walks and beaches. The facilities are modern and very clean. We were also lucky enough to see Kiwis' after a few tips from Simon and a lot of patience. We have been to New Zealand twice now, touring by campervan and whilst there are many lovely campsites dotted around both islands, none were a match for Aroha Island, it's our version of perfect !!! Thank you guys for a wonderful experience. As the great philosopher Arnold Scharznegger once said, "I'll be back !!! "

Reviewed 9 months ago

Lizzie

Ranking: 7/10

Nice place but facilities not great for price as showers aren’t included. Great night time trail for spotting kiwi birds though! Just could have better general facilities.

Reviewed 10 months ago

Peter Kennedy

New Zealand

Ranking: 9/10

Beautiful, peaceful spot. There are two levels. The lower levels (unpowered) have views over the water. The facilities are clean and modern. I enjoyed going for a walk in the dark to find kiwi. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful. Highly recommended.

Reviewed over 1 year ago

Eline Stoutjesdijk

Ranking: 8/10

Great place to stay to relax, feeling that you are surrounded by nature. The unpowered campsites near the water were a bit windy. Kitchen and showers are good. A nice BBQ area. The highlight of the camping was kiwi spotting in the dark! At the reception we got some information and red covers for our lights. It was exciting to walk in the dark searching for kiwis! We did hear Henrietta the female kiwi real close, but unfortunately did not see her.
The only thing missing are facilities for laundry, but as we only stayed 1 night, that was not a problem.

Reviewed almost 2 years ago

Wayne Britton

Ranking: 10/10

Nice relaxing and secluded Kiwi Eco park/reserve, good clean and friendly.
Very helpful staff. All in all a great spot.

Reviewed over 2 years ago

Lynne Robertson

United States

Ranking: 10/10

Nice spot for tent right by the beach. Views were great. We didnt see any kiwi but we did hear them. Free wifi by the office. Kitchen was covered outside. They were in process of building an inside kitchen. Overall very nice surroundings for our 2nd night camping.

Reviewed almost 3 years ago

Conservation Campsite Pass

Save up to 70% on campsite fees! Support conservation and experience the natural beauty of NZ. 79 Department of Conservation campsites, one convenient pass.

What an amazing place. There's so much to do, including a lovely bush walk around the island which takes about an hour. The visitor centre holds a wealth of information, the staff are super helpful, and there are loads of well thought-out activities for children to do (like hunting for bugs). We went kiwi spotting at nightfall with our three year old through the bush, which he thought was terribly exciting and a definite highlight of our holiday. We heard one, but sadly didn't see it. Perhaps our entourage was a bit too noisy! Aroha Island is well worth a visit if you're nearby - allow a full day to make the most of what it has to offer.

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Leslie Lindeman

United States

Ranking: 9/10

Try it, you will like it. Very peaceful.

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Liz Barnett

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

Loved this place.... beautiful site on the water, with sunset and sunrise to die for. Lots of wonderful birds to watch - kingfisher very obliging. But the real treat was wandering through the woods for several hours in the middle of the night and seeing a kiwi. Amazing! Great place, great people, doing some good work, and the kiwi was awesome!

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Bernard Welschen

Netherlands

Ranking: 9/10

Beautiful campsite and swimming in the bay. Meet the kiwi with your red lamp!

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Paul Smith

Ranking: 8/10

Quiet eco site with good facilities, but no dump site (nearest is Kerikeri). Helpful wardens and beautiful setting.

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Dave Kitson

Ranking: 9/10

We loved it here. Very relaxing and thoroughly ecological although a bit more expensive than we usually pick. It was well worth it as we saw the only wild kiwi we have ever seen. They give you hints and red gels to cover torches and you lurk in the forest until you hear something rustling in the bushes. 10:1 it will be a Kiwi of the feathered variety. If not, it will be one of your fellow stalkers. Apparently most people who try see at least one.

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Top Ranked NZ Deals Pass

Access savings worth hundreds of $$ on Top Ranked NZ Accommodation and Activities for just $1 per day.

A special place. Relaxed calm environment. Campsites generously sized to avoid over population. Beautiful birdsong and native tree island joined by a causeway to keep rodents out. Kiwi viewing at night if you're lucky. Make sure you have the right torch!
Covenanted by NZs QEII Trust to protect NZ bush and habitats.
Lovely managers who went out of their way to help when we had a minor accident, good clean facilities run on a sustainable basis.
Highly recommended for those with an eco-bent. Thank you Simon and Wendy

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Natasha Veale

Ranking: 10/10

Amazing. Well worth it.

Reviewed over 3 years ago

Ahmed Mohsen Aly

Netherlands

Ranking: 9/10

We had an excellent stay at Aroha Island. We arrived around midnight, the office and gate to the campsite were closed and we did not know how to get in. Fortunately there was a fellow camper outside the office instructing us to lift the chain from the gate and continue in. It was a bit confusing why they had a meaningless chain around the gate in the first place. We drove in and a guy greeted us in the morning and instructed us to pay at the office when we were ready to.
The campsite itself was excellent with beach access, nice facilities and friendly staff. $15 per person for an unpowered site.

Reviewed almost 4 years ago

Suzanne Vermeulen

Netherlands

Ranking: 10/10

We spent two relaxing nights in the Aroha campground. The camp has a very welcoming feeling to it and just made us slow down and sit and enjoy the place. It has an ecological set up, so don't expect luxury. You'll find decent and clean facilities - note they recently changed the showers so you'll pay NZD 1 for around 5 minutes hot water. It is a smaller campground so in summer do book ahead if you want to be sure of a spot. There's a lovely bay area that has unpowered sites. We decided to stay on one of the powered sites, it's a nice area, closer to the facilities. It is wonderful that you can try to find kiwi at night. We got some great tips on how to do that from the site managers. We tried both nights and were so lucky to spot a kiwi on our second night :)

Reviewed almost 4 years ago

Dennis Biedermann

Ranking: 10/10

We really loved staying here. The place is in beautiful nature, right on the water. You can do a Kiwi walk, guided or not. The facilities are okay and clean. The owner was friendly and showed us around.

Reviewed almost 4 years ago

Wendy Clearwater

Ranking: 10/10

Beautiful peaceful camp. Very clean and tidy. Loved it, will be back some day.

Reviewed about 4 years ago

Avoid Camping Fines!

The only camping map where each location is approved by every regional council in NZ. So if it shows on the map, you’re allowed to stay.

Tiz refreshing to be green! For those who need to know... there is a no smoking policy, my mind wasn't 100% backing the decision but my lungs did appreciate the break :)

Reviewed over 4 years ago

John Chilcote

Ranking: 10/10

Even though Aroha Island campground is not as large or does not have the facilities or amenities of many other campgrounds, it is still superior to most others due to its remoteness and uniqueness. The staff were superb, the internet is free and better than most, and the atmosphere is wonderful.

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Julia

Germany

Ranking: 10/10

Small and very quiet place with just a few powered and unpowered sites. Very clean facilities (toilets with soap and paper). Staff was very helpful and friendly. Some ducks came to bear company during dinner and breakfast.

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Andrew Jones

Qatar

Ranking: 10/10

Spent 2 days here in the middle of March and we are so glad we did. A fantastic site in a beautiful spot in the Bay of Islands. We were in a self contained van but everything was there for others too. Staffed by people genuinely in love with the place, it was one of our best spots of the trip

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Jean-Claude Escutary

Ranking: 10/10

Very nice location clean very friendly welcome on a reserve Kiwis we could see the two nights we stayed, camping ready red lights. It has even been picking oysters. The wifi is available near the reception is also a small museum in one month NZ's best campsite for us.

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Robert Warner

United States

Ranking: 8/10

Our stay at Aroha Island was pleasant. We were there for just one night, and the facilities were pretty good. I found that I can take a four minute shower, but my wife cannot.
Everything was clean and well-maintained, and the camp hostess was pleasant.
We were situated in a powered site in the upper campground. There is no view in that area, but non-powered tent sites below have a view of the bay.
It's a nice area, and if we could have stayed awake we might have seen some Kiwi's.
The campground is situated on a peninsula that's almost like an island since the land bridge to the peninsula is so narrow. There's a trail around the campground that is a nice short hike, and the views of the bay are nice.
Might stay here again sometime.

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Ian

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

The most wonderful place to stay. V friendly and helpful staff, great hot showers etc. Parking right down by the water, lovely sunsets and swimming. Informative displays and centre. A walk after dark with red torches, listen, wait and the kiwis walk or run by only inches away! We saw several and 3 at once. This was our top site in NZ!

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Camping NZ App

Every camping site on your iPhone™, iPad™ or Android™ phone or tablet. Avoid camping penalties using this council approved app. Featuring offline maps.

Numun

New Zealand

Ranking: 10/10

Wow. A hidden gem. An opportunity get up close and personal with kiwi in their natural environment is not something you get everyday. Forget the tourist traps, here's the real deal! Great camping either powered and up the hill, or un-powered and down by the water. Great facilities and a beautiful location. This is a great experience for young and old.

Reviewed over 5 years ago and experienced in April 2014

David Williams

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

One of Northland's best attractions and best kept secrets!
Stunning location, friendly staff and excellent facilities for the price. there are powered and un-powered sites here, some right on the beach front. There is a visitors centre with varying classes and free wifi. The showers are clean and hot and the kitchen facilities are more than adequate. The main show piece is that the island is a santuary for Kiwi's. Hire a red bulb torch and walk the tracks after dark for your chance to spot a Kiwi. We were lucky enough to see two in one night! and no more than a few feet away! Will be back.

Reviewed over 5 years ago

Mark Hayes

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

Perfection: Peace, Tranquility, Terns, Oysters and of course Kiwis.

Helen and Tim, the winter managers, were charming, thoughtful, informative and made us feel part of the family. Aroha Island is a paradise compared to the bustle of Kerikeri. We arrived at the island unannounced but were made welcome and we found a great powered site for the rental campervan. Helen and Tim gave us an expert briefing on Kiwi spotting at night, even providing the all important red lights to ensure that the Kiwis are not disturbed unduly. As well as hearing and seeing "Henrietta" the matriarch of the Kiwi clan we marvelled at the diving Terns and jumping Snapper. We met Henrietta on the last night of our NZ adventure and it crowned an amazing trip. Seeing a wild Kiwi at night compares favourably with with other wildlife "must-sees" such as Tigers, Polar Bears and Mountain Gorillas. Finally we were humbled by the gift of wild oysters collected by local Maori women at low tide. We were so taken with Aroha that we have signed up to becoming Life Members of the Aroha Island Charitable Trust. We cannot recommend Aroha Island too highly, please visit and see for yourselves.

Reviewed almost 6 years ago

Aroha Island responds:

Jane and Mark, thank you for this review. It was wonderful having you here and enjoying this little piece of paradise.

Mary Hamilton

Ranking: 10/10

Fantastic nature reserve tucked away on bush covered island (accessed by causeway). The army of volunteers who run Aroha Island have done a fantastic job of not only providing a great habitat for the growing population of kiwi but making them accessible to visitors - at night of course. Bring red cellophane to cover your flashlight to improve your chances of seeing these elusive birds. Also, avoid insect repellant which the kiwis will pick up.
We camped on the shoreline and enjoyed a peaceful night listening to the birds and watching the night sky. Campground facilities are very good.

Reviewed over 6 years ago

Aroha Island responds:

We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay at Aroha. Thank you for taking the time to post this review

Helen & Tim Lee - Winter Managers

Neele & Philipp

Germany

Ranking: 10/10

Very nice location. Friendly, helpful staff.

Reviewed over 6 years ago and experienced in February 2013

Aroha Island responds:

Thank you for your feedback, we are glad you enjoyed your stay here. Hope you got to see a kiwi in its natural habitat

Stefan Nitsch

Austria

Ranking: 10/10

Perfect for nature lovers, at night you can walk around the island with flashlights looking for wild kiwi - impressive and good value.

Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2011

Aroha Island responds:

Hi Stephan.
Glad you enjoyed the experience.
Important to have only red light torches though. We can provide red cellophane or lend a torch too

hooperuk

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

Bird reserve 17kms from Kerikeri. Educational place to stay with the option for kiwi guided tour at night. Beautifully relaxing place.

Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in April 2010

Aroha Island responds:

Keeps on getting more beautiful with each passing year.
More birds, taller trees and more variety of younger trees developing.